The NFL has never been shy about fining players for gestures, and that's what they did to New York Jets edge rusher Will McDonald. In their Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after McDonald got a sack on Aaron Rodgers, he got up and did the Ja Morant celebration, which looks like he's throwing a bomb in the air and covering his ears.
McDonald was fined $14,491 for the violent gesture, and there's a good chance players won't be pulling that celebration out anytime soon.
The NFL fined #Jets edge Will McDonald $14,491 for a “violent gesture” — pretending to throw a grenade after sacking Aaron Rodgers.
Including Jalen Carter’s lost game check for spitting on Dak Prescott, the league docked players $129,678 for unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 1. pic.twitter.com/vON7q36Rv7
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 13, 2025
The good news is that McDonald did not get suspended for the gesture, and he will be available to play Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, which will be a tough matchup for the team.
The Jets played a good game against the Steelers, but it wasn't enough for them to get the win. The offense was lights out, but it was the defense that couldn't get the stops that they needed at the right time. Sauce Gardner was vocal about the team's performance on that side of the ball and was completely honest about wanting them to be better.
“We put up 30-something points in Week 1. As a defense, guys that have been here, we ain’t really used to that, the offense putting that many points up. It's unacceptable,” Gardner via The Athletic's Zach Rosenblatt.
It's still a long season, so the Jets have time to bounce back, and they have the players on defense to do so. With players holding them accountable, such as Garder, who is one of the key players on that side of the ball, there's no reason why they can't get better.
It's good to see that they are able to get to the quarterback, similar to how McDonald did, and they're going to need to do that if they want to beat the Bills.
